<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Doctor's Orders by alteridemlynch</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24466495">Doctor's Orders</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/alteridemlynch/pseuds/alteridemlynch'>alteridemlynch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dreamer Trilogy - Maggie Stiefvater, Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Doctor Adam Parrish, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Ronan Lynch Loves Adam Parrish, basically Ronan fills in as Adam's receptionist, kind of a Schitt's Creek Ted/Alexis AU????</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:33:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,572</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24466495</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/alteridemlynch/pseuds/alteridemlynch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam's receptionist has a family emergency. Ronan volunteers to fill in for a few days.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>91</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Doctor's Orders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is inspired by Ted and Alexis' relationship on Schitt's Creek and the idea of Ronan (Alexis) being totally unqualified to work as a receptionist but Adam (Ted) letting him anyway because they love each other ;)  I also know logistically this probably doesn't' make sense in terms of how doctors offices hire receptionists, but JUST GO WITH IT. </p><p>This is mostly just pure, soft, domestic fluff.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"No, no, please don't worry, it will be fine," Adam said, phone pressed between his ear and shoulder as he unlocked the front door. "Really, Eliza, go be with your family; I'll figure something out.....Okay, goodnight." </p><p>Ronan, who was standing at the stove, twisted his head around slightly to raise his eyebrows at Adam, who plopped down at the kitchen table in exhaustion</p><p>"My receptionist's uncle passed away so now she has to head out of town for the next few days," Adam explained, then realized the unusual quiet of the Barns at this time. "Where are the kids?" </p><p>"Dick picked them up from school and took them all to that new movie, the one with the elephant? I don't know, something about 'surprise movie day' or some shit like that." </p><p>Adam laughed at that. Gansey was the CEO of spoiling both his own and their children. He was constantly surprising them with bowling or swimming or toy store shopping trips. Old Adam would object to it, but after this many years of knowing him, Adam knows this is just one of the ways Gansey expresses his love: through giving. Besides, it never hurt to get the kids out of the house for a few hours. "So they're eating popcorn and milk duds for dinner, then?" </p><p>"Probably," Ronan sighed, flipping the chicken breasts he was currently sautéing. "Don't you have another receptionist?" Ronan asked, never one to forget Adam's current stressors. "What's her name...Jen?"</p><p>"Judy's had this week off for months...I think it's her friend's wedding in California." </p><p>"Ahh," Ronan breathed, carefully plating the chicken on two dishes already piled high with crispy potatoes and broccoli. He brought over the plates to the table and set them down before them, giving Adam a quick kiss before taking his seat. Ronan always carefully timed his cooking for Adam's arrival home from work -- it was already ready within minutes of walking through the door, and Adam loved him all the more for it. "So what are you going to do? Are there temps for this kind of thing?" </p><p>Adam sighed, carefully cutting his chicken. "I mean, yes, but they usually send some incompetent asshole who does more bad than good, and then I have to fix their messes <em>on top </em>of taking appointments and it's almost not worth it." </p><p>Ronan looked up at him then, took note of all the creases in his forehead, the slight wrinkle of his nose--the face he made when he was stressed. He would do anything to make that stress go away. "I can do it."</p><p>Adam froze, a piece of broccoli dangling on his fork. "What?" </p><p>"I can fill in, be your receptionist for a few days," Ronan shrugged. "I can answer phones and hand out clipboards and shit." </p><p>Adam let out a small laugh, a blush creeping into his cheeks. "You hate phones. And paperwork. And most people," Adam argued, though he clearly wanted to be proven wrong. </p><p>"Yeah, but I love you," Ronan replied in a faux-sappy voice, smiling. "I can play nice." </p><p>Adam chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Okay, but what about the bakery?" </p><p>Ronan hadn't really thought about that -- it's not like he doesn't have a job of his own -- but he wasn't too worried. "I'm sure Allison and Trey can handle stuff for a few days." </p><p>Adam couldn't argue with that. Ronan's staff at the bakery was well-trained in his recipe specifics. They could probably out-bake Ronan when it came to the daily cookies, breads, and scones. Ronan always handled the large catering orderers, like elaborate cakes and pies, but they didn't have any scheduled for another few days, so he wasn't <em>technically </em>needed in-store. </p><p>"Are you sure? It's not exactly a fun job." </p><p>"If I get to see you doing your hot doctor thing, it will definitely be fun," Ronan winked. </p><p>"You and your kinks," Adam mumbled as he finished chewing.</p><p>"Is that a yes?" Ronan was actually kind of hopeful. Spending the next few days with Adam, watching him work, seeing him in his element....that outweighed the dread of answering phones and dealing with annoying patients. </p><p>"I'll see you at work tomorrow, Mr. Lynch. Eight a.m. sharp," Adam replied, sitting up a bit straighter and deepening his voice a bit. </p><p>"See you then, Dr. Parrish-Lynch," Ronan smiled. "Now finish your dinner and get your ass upstairs and in bed before the kids get home." </p><p>(The kids came home an hour later to two half-eaten, cold plates of food). </p>
<hr/><p>The next morning was weird, to say the least. Adam and Ronan drove to work together, which was strange in itself, and Adam unlocked the door to his office in the large building of nearly identical ones. </p><p>"Okay, so here's your desk, obviously," Adam smirked, gesturing to the large L-shaped desk in the waiting room area. "I'll log into the computer for you and pull up our scheduling software. For the most part, you'll just check people in, take down new appointments, and let me know who's here." Adam sat down at the desk and worked on starting up the computer. Ronan leaned on the chair behind him, resting his chin on his head and watching the screen as Adam explained the logistics of the software. </p><p>"Any questions?" Adam asked when he was finished, spinning around in the chair to face Ronan. </p><p>"Just one." </p><p>"Okay?" </p><p>"Do we have time to fool around before your first appointment?" Ronan asked, wiggling his eyebrows. </p><p>"Ronan!" Adam said, smacking him gently. "My first appointment's in 10 minutes . . . and it'd be highly inappropriate for me to fraternize with my receptionist." </p><p>"Your receptionist that also happens to be your husband," Ronan pointed out. </p><p>"For the next three days, you're strictly my receptionist." </p><p>"But that's no fun," Ronan whined, wrapping his arms around Adam's shoulders and practically sitting on his lap.</p><p>Adam laughed at the childish act, his cheeks rosy. "Maybe if you're good at your job, I'll reward you later?" </p><p>Ronan's eyebrows shot up at that--something to look forward to beyond paperwork and phone calls. "I'll hold you to that, boss," Ronan smiled, closing the distance between them. The kiss was tender and sweet, familiar and comfortable. </p><p>"Okay, we probably have 2 minutes before someone walks in," Adam said, pulling back regretfully. "Remember: get their name, check them in online, go over any withstanding information or insurance info, and then have them sit down until I'm ready. If they're a new client, hand them a clipboard." Adam unfurled himself from Ronan and stood up, rounding the corner towards his office. "Oh, and then send them back to me for the appointment. Obviously." </p><p>Ronan rolled his eyes. "Obviously." </p><p>Adam took a deep breath -- he was very anxious -- and nodded at Ronan. "Okay. Thank you. I love you."</p><p>"That's not a very professional thing to say to your receptionist . . . " </p><p>"Oh, fuck off!" Adam called, retreating to his office. Ronan just smiled. </p>
<hr/><p>The first few appointments were easy enough, as they were all regular patients that seemed to understand the protocol. Ronan checked them in and brought them back and then killed time on his phone until the next appointment. He checked in on Allison at the bakery and found that everything was running fine. It was a pretty simply morning.</p><p>Until Cynthia. </p><p>"Oh! You're not Eliza . . . " a tall, middle-aged woman said accusingly upon entering the lobby. She was dressed in an assortment of patterns, flashy jewelry and hideous pumps. </p><p>Ronan looked up from his phone and stared at her blankly. "No, I'm not." Then he remembered what Adam had said and put on the cheeriest smile he could muster. "Can I help you?" </p><p>"Where's Eliza? She's always here on Tuesdays!" the woman said angrily. </p><p>"She had a family emergency, so I'm filling in."</p><p>"You don't look like you'd work for a doctor . . ." </p><p>"Well, I do, so, can I have your name?" Ronan growled, starting to get irritated.</p><p>The woman sighed. "Cynthia Watkins. I have a 10:45 with Dr. Parrish-Lynch." She tapped her finger nails on the counter impatiently while Ronan searched for her name. </p><p>"Okay, Mrs. Watkins, your appointment is actually at 11:45," Ronan told her, bracing himself for what was sure to be an annoying response.</p><p>"No, it isn't, I have it right here in my planner --" she said, shoving the little notebook in his face. </p><p>"Well, you must have written it down wrong, because it's 11:45 in our system. And that--" Ronan said, nodding his head to the doorway as it opened, revealing a small young woman with a warm smile. "--is Dr. Parrish-Lynch's 10:45." </p><p>Cynthia looked between Ronan and the new arrival, her mouth agape, unsure of what to say. The girl stood there awkwardly, unsure of what she just walked into. Cynthia sucked in a deep breath, snapped her planner shut, and pursed her lips. "Well, I'll see you in an hour." </p><p>She stormed out of the office and Ronan smiled as she left before turning to the other woman to check her in. </p>
<hr/><p>At 1pm, Adam had a 30 minute gap in appointments, which meant the two could eat lunch together. Ronan had packed their lunches as he always did--Adam was terrible at anything related to food aside from eating it--and the two gathered in his office to eat, Adam in his rolling chair and Ronan on the exam table, legs dangling over the edge. "You doing okay up front?" Adam asked, taking a bite out of his sandwich. </p><p>Ronan shrugged. "It's pretty straightforward, Parrish. Opal could probably do it." </p><p>Adam laughed, almost spitting out his food. "Could you imagine?" Ronan tried to picture it: Opal wearing real clothes, her hair actually brushed, sitting at a desk all day. It was quite unrealistic. "She'd eat all the files." </p><p>"She can eat Cynthia's file - she's a bitch," Ronan grumbled. </p><p>"Oh, yeah, she's . . . not the nicest," Adam smiled. "She mentioned you when she came in."</p><p>"Oh did she?" Ronan asked, intrigued. This ought to be good.</p><p>Adam grinned. "Yeah, she stormed in here complaining about the 'scary Neanderthal' manning the front desk. She warned me that I should be more careful about who I hire." </p><p>"What'd you tell her?"</p><p>"I told her that she should worry more about her high blood pressure than my temporary receptionist."</p><p>"Defending my honor like a true gentleman." </p><p>"I'll always defend your honor," Adam said, kicking his feet out to touch Ronan's. He looked down at his watch and Ronan sighed, knowing that their little break was over. "Back to your post, Lynch." </p><p>"Alrighty, boss," Ronan smiled, hopping off the exam table. He leaned over Adam, who was stuffing the last of his chips in his mouth while logging back onto his computer, and planted a soft kiss on his head. Adam tilted his head around and smiled up at him. "Only a few more hours, okay?" Ronan nodded and headed back to the lobby, where the next patient was already waiting, sitting in one of the chairs reading a magazine. </p>
<hr/><p>By four o'clock, Ronan was bored out of his mind. He called the bakery again to check in (everything was fine) and texted Blue to make sure the kids were okay (she had picked them up from school). There was nothing to do in between appointments except for sit and wait and occasionally answer the phone. Ronan looked at the calendar in front of him:  Adam only had two more appointments and then they could head home. He could make it. </p><p>A woman around their age, maybe a few years younger, came in for the last appointment at 4:45. "Hi, checking in for Samantha," the woman said, smiling at Ronan in a strange way. </p><p>"Alright, just take a seat. Dr. Parrish-Lynch will be with you shortly," Ronan said automatically, almost robotically. The words were practically drilled into his brain after hours of saying them. </p><p>However, Samantha lingered. "You're new," she pointed out.</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"What brings you here to the wonderful world of medicine?" she asked, leaning on the desk on her forearms, her cleavage showing. The woman was clearly flirting with him, and Ronan genuinely found it entertaining.  </p><p>"Nepotism," Ronan answered, smirking. </p><p>Samantha laughed. "Ahh, so you're a friend of the doctor's." Ronan didn't bother clarifying for her. "He has good taste. It's nice to meet you . . . " </p><p>"Ronan," he filled in. </p><p>"Ronan?" </p><p>"Ronan Lynch, actually," a voice came from the adjacent hallway, making Samantha jump up and Ronan smile wide. She looked between the two of them, staring at Adam's full name embroidered on his coat, and putting the pieces together in his mind. Her eyebrows raised in slight surprise, and then she blushed deeply, clearly embarrassed. "My husband's filling in while Eliza's out this week," Adam explained, just to make sure she fully understood. Despite his clam demeanor, Ronan could tell he was a <em>bit </em>jealous (he always got that way when people flirted with Ronan, which was fairly often considering his appearance). </p><p>"That's . . . wonderful," she smiled awkwardly. Adam flicked his eyes to Ronan, a mischievous light in his gaze, and Ronan couldn't help but think about how hot Adam looked right now. His white coat and thin glasses, a stethoscope around his neck, his smile teasing. </p><p>"Come on, let's go on back, get you checked up, and be done for the day," Adam said, breaking the tension and gesturing for Samantha to follow him. Ronan watched him go, smiling. </p>
<hr/><p>"Well that was quite the day," Adam said in the car on their way home. Ronan was driving (of course), and Adam had his hand resting gently atop of his on the gearshift. "Thanks for filling in, babe. You think you can last 2 more days?" </p><p>"No, but I'll do it anyway," Ronan said. "Plus it was pretty fun to see you get all worked up over that woman flirting with me..."</p><p>"I wasn't 'worked up'," Adam defended.</p><p>"Oh, come on, you were staring daggers at her." </p><p>"Only because she was making heart-eyes at you. Had to stake my claim," Adam smiled. </p><p>"It was pretty hot," Ronan admitted, turning his head to look at him for just a moment. </p><p>"That's not even news. Everyone knows you have a doctor kink."</p><p>"I don't have a doctor kink--I have an <em>you</em> kink!" </p><p>"That's the dumbest and sweetest thing you've ever said." Adam squeezed his hand. Ronan just smiled, a faint blush on his cheek, as he turned on a sidestreet, heading to Blue and Gansey's to pick up the kids. It was nearly six o'clock, and Ronan's stomach was growling.  "Should we see stop for pizza on the way home?" </p><p>"That sounds perfect," Adam said. "I'm not in the mood to cook tonight..."</p><p>"You never cook," Ronan quipped.</p><p>"Okay, I'm not in the mood for <em>you </em>to cook tonight and <em>me </em>to do dishes," he laughed. </p><p>"Fair enough." They pulled into the Ganseys' driveway and honked once. "Hey," Ronan said, turning to face Adam. "Tamquam--" </p><p>Adam smiled warmly. "Alter idem." The two men leaned into each other and kissed for one blissful, wonderful moment, before the doors of their car were being flung open by their two young children, both saying <em>ewww </em>at the sight of their parents. The adults laughed, pulling away, and Ronan began backing up out of the driveway while Adam waved at Blue, who was standing on the front porch. </p><p>Ronan couldn't be happier. </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>